The maximum load current of an integrated circuit (IC) such as a processor represents the maximum peak current that the IC is capable of drawing. This is referred to herein as IccMax. Today, the IccMax is defined by frequency (often measured per frequency bin) and the Icc protector level. Based on those numbers, design decisions are made as to what frequency bins are IccMax limited and as to the size of the voltage regulator (VR) that is required for the IC.
In the case of a processor, the difference between IccMax and the average current that is drawn by the processor, referred to as Icc average, can be more than 20%. Controlling IccMax in order to reduce IccMax would result in large gains in board die area due to the need for a smaller VR (because it needs to supply less current) and result in the IccMax limited frequency bins gaining more frequency.
IccMax for an IC has been controlled in the past by limiting the frequency at which the IC is run. However, even if one application is able get to some Icc level, all other applications get the same frequency restriction without reaching that same limit, which may hurt their performance. Thus, limiting the frequency is not desirable.